Once a tightknit community in Poland, Trochenbrod no longer exists. The all-Jewish settlement of 5,000 was destroyed by the Nazis in World War II and, of the 33 residents that escaped its occupation, only one remains to talk about the village—Betty Gold.
Just one day after her twelfth birthday, Gold’s father’s ingenuity helped her and 15 others escape a horrific mass execution to make the forest their home. Her amazing tale of survival juxtaposes unthinkable atrocities with incredible kindnesses, periods of deep despair with moments of unbridled hope. She relates all of it very simply and candidly in a new book from The Kent State University Press, Beyond Trochenbrod: The Betty Gold Story. Though it was written with the assistance of author-editor Mark Hodermarksky, Gold’s spirit shines through on every page. “Reading that book, I just kept hearing her voice in my head,” says Maltz Museum’s Laura Steefel-Moore, who has heard Gold share her Holocaust and immigration stories with students, visitors and other civic groups. “So much of her—her background, her personality, her beliefs and her strength—are in this book.”
Gold officially launched the autobiography at the Maltz Museum, a venue that has given her the opportunity to deliver a message to younger generations. “It still amazes me how many student are unaware or uneducated about the Holocaust,” she writes in the book. Sadly, a global study recently released by the Anti-Defamation League echoes that sentiment, finding that less than half (48 percent) of survey respondents under the age 35 even knew about the Holocaust.
But Gold’s determination is unwavering and each connection she makes is impactful. The end of the new book is filled with letters from youth moved by her personal narrative. “By sharing your memories, however painful they may be, you have given a timeless gift to me, to us and to the world, for you have been a part of shaping the conscience of the upcoming generation to prevent such calamities from reoccurring,” writes one Hathaway Brown School student.
“The Nazis took me away from Trochenbrod, but they couldn’t take Trochenbrod away from me,” Gold told the crowd at her recent booksigning. “I do this to keep my village alive. I do this to contribute to humanity. And I encourage you all to make every single day count.”
Stop by the Maltz Museum Store to pick up your own copy of “Beyond Trochenbrod” and get the rest of the story. Who knows? You may even run into volunteer, author and survivor Betty Gold while you’re here.
